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Preview: Rangers vs. Dundee - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 7 December 2023, 16:08
Rangers will continue to try and maintain pace with Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership on Saturday when they host Dundee.

The visitors are currently in midtable but will be seeking revenge following their previous meeting against the Gers this season.

Match preview

Rangers continued their excellent run of form in midweek when facing Hearts as Abdallah Sima's goal proved to be enough to secure a 1-0 victory as they extended the gap between the two teams in the table.

While the Gers have pushed further away from the third-placed Jambos, the win also kept them in touching distance of their Old Firm rivals, with Celtic currently eight points above them at the top of the table.

After a tricky start to the campaign Rangers have shown real consistency to ensure they remain in the title hunt, and they head into this weekend on the back of a 12-match undefeated run in all competitions.

Strong defensive displays have been at the core of that, which has been the case throughout the entire season as no team has let in fewer goals than them in the Scottish Premiership.

That will be something Phillipe Clement aims to keep drilling into his team as they aim to remain as consistent as possible throughout the winter period.

Dundee know only too well about the difficulty in breaking Rangers down as they failed to land a blow on them during their last match, which was a game that the Dark Blues will have quickly put behind them.

However, fans will not have forgotten the heavy 5-0 loss that they experienced against Rangers at the start of November, and they will expect their team to provide more of a fight this time to make the game competitive.

That was something they showcased during their most recent outing against Motherwell where the two teams shared the spoils following a six-goal thriller.

However, Dundee did throw away two different leads in that game before conceding a 97th-minute equaliser against 10 men, which is why the fans will be putting pressure on the team to get back to winning ways.

The Dark Blues could climb into fifth place with a win if other results go their way, but at the same time they are only five points above the relegation zone, showcasing the need for some real consistency.

Rangers Scottish Premiership form:

W

W

W

D

W

W

Rangers form (all competitions):

W

W

D

D

W

W

Dundee Scottish Premiership form:

W

L

W

W

L

D

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Team News

Clement made changes at both ends of the pitch in midweek as Ridvan Yilmaz and Danilo were both brought into the starting lineup, and they could be considered to keep their places.

One player who will maintain their spot in the team is Sima, who has now scored three goals in the previous two matches as he showcases his attacking capabilities.

Dundee should head into this match the fresher of the two considering they did not play in midweek, and they will also be bolstered by the fact that Ricki Lamie will be available again after he missed out last weekend against his parent club.

Diego Pineda will be missing for this fixture though as he is currently recovering from a quadriceps injury that he sustained during training.

Rangers possible starting lineup:

Butland; Tavernier, Goldson, Balogun, Yilmaz; Lundstram, Cifuentes; McCausland, Lawrence, Sima; Danilo

Dundee possible starting lineup:

Carson; McGhee, Portales, Shaughnessy, Lamie, Beck; Cameron, Boateng, McCowan; Bakayoko, Rudden

We say: Rangers 2-0 Dundee

This match will likely be much closer than the last time the two teams met, with the visitors not wanting to suffer such a heavy defeat again.

However, Dundee are still not expected to take anything from the game due to the brilliant run Rangers are enjoying.

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